4th Graders Deconstruct Laws — and Write Their Own
The House is in session. In hushed but anxious tones, Representatives set aside partisan differences in their race to pass a bill over to the Senate. Fifteen minutes later, a […]
Mechanical Device or Plot Device? 5th Grade Story Machines
In early October, Lan Heng, Computer Teacher; Leonard White, Shop Teacher; and Phillip Bettencourt, Music Teacher, gathered the entire 5th Grade class at Ethical Culture to introduce a new project: […]
What Faculty Really Do at Professional Development
They say you should never stop learning, and at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, teachers take that mantra seriously. While students enjoyed a day off earlier this October, faculty in […]
7th Graders Write Themselves into Wondrous Worlds
Scattered across Laurie Hornik’s classroom are Post-it Notes adorning various items and spaces. A note stuck to the window reads, “Lens to the Outside World.” A bookshelf is labeled, “The […]
Seeing Columbus Through the Lens of Equity
In mid-October, Fieldston Lower School Spanish Teacher Monica Mella led her 1st Graders through a lesson on dates and months. She asked them what holidays fall in October. Most offered […]
Fieldston Lower Boards the International Space Station
On a bright July day at Cape Canaveral, Florida, a Falcon 9 rocket waits at the launch site. The energy is electric. Despite decades of space travel, the idea of […]
Everything Parents/Guardians Need to Know About How We Teach Writing
On the morning of March 12, Sharan Gill, English Teacher, and I presented a writing workshop for parents and guardians. We led them through a shortened version of a writing […]
Kindergarteners Deliver Postcards, Letters, and Lots of Joy
A towering cardboard box, its sides painted in bright blocks of color, stands in the corner of Geri Guidetti and Domingo Paulino’s classroom, which teems with children and adults alike. […]
Master Biologists in the Making: First Grade in Central Park
The team of entomologists is mired in the task of collecting live specimens when they’re suddenly interrupted. “How do you know a slug isn’t an insect?” Beverly Chang, their teacher, […]
From Lake to Lab: Pushing Science Skills One Step Further
It’s a crisp October morning in Van Cortlandt Park. At 10:30am on a Thursday, the park is mostly quiet, save for the hooting and hollering coming from a grove of […]